Apple’s new Studio Display update may have provided clues to the rumored M2 Mac mini. For months, there’s been speculation that the Cupertino giant might update the Mac mini lineup, while also introducing the next generation from Apple Silicon. The company may also showcase the products at the upcoming WWDC which kicks off on June 6.
According to 9to5Mac’s report, the information was spotted by developer Steve Troughton-Smith in the Studio Display firmware update. The latter has an A13 Bionic chip that helps with image processing for the built-in camera as well as controlling features like Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos.
The developer noticed references to a product marked as “Macmini 10.1”, which is apparently a model ID that is not used for any of the existing Mac product lines. It goes on to add that the next Mac mini could feature an M2, M1 Pro, or M1 Max chipset.
It’s unclear what new Macs are imminent; for what it’s worth, there’s a concrete clue: the Studio Display firmware references an unknown mysterious machine – a new generation of Mac mini models (“Macmini 10.1”). My opinion: M2, not M1 ProApril 12, 2022
Recently, Apple unveiled the M1 Ultra which combines two M1 Max chipsets and works in tandem.
The new chipset is available in Mac Studio, which shares a similar design to the Mac mini, but is larger in size due to the larger thermal management system.
More info during WWDC
Even before Apple unveiled its original M1 chipset, there were rumors that it would be launched at WWDC. However, the company launched the chipsets in November 2020 in MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. However, could Apple change course and present the new M2 Mac mini at the next developer conference?
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman had also hinted that Apple might announce two new Macs in June, which fits that theory.
Mac Pro may also be advertised
At Apple’s March launch event, where we saw the M1 Ultra officially introduced, the company ended with the note that the majority of Mac products have switched to the M1 series of chipsets. Except one. It could potentially be the Mac Pro which is the only system that still runs on Intel’s Xeon processor.
If Apple was able to merge two separate M1 Max chips into a single unit, there may already be plans to release another larger chipset that could include two M1 Ultra SoCs for this powerful computer.